


Just One Night Changed It All

by KailynBail



Series: Modern or Alternate Universe of the Dragon Age [3]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Drug Addiction, Drug Withdrawals, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Future sort of, Modern, Rivain, anghst, cameos from other characters - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-09
Updated: 2017-08-09
Packaged: 2018-12-13 08:52:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 21,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11756307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KailynBail/pseuds/KailynBail
Summary: Solas wasn't looking for anything. His life was going just fine. The new job, the new place, the new town... even the food there was good. He didn't mean to find her, he didn't mean to go home with her and he most definitely didn't mean to care about her. Not her. In a world where his power is but a fraction of what it once was... where mages are nothing more than nearly eradicated bloodlines... where elves where suits and cell phone coverage is pretty darn good actually... he had never expected that one night... could change everything.[This work is currently unfinished but it is at a good stopping point. This is a modern setting and a complete alternate universe. Solas is still who he is but this is a futuristic setting... he's way old, his power is almost completely gone... in a certain sense. There's nothing terribly horrific going on (yet) and this is just the beginning. Oh and... smut, of course.]WARNING: Drug use and drug addiction is heavily implied and depicted (addiction) in this work. Also, drug withdrawals as well.





	1. Chapter 1

“Come on, Solas… you can’t stay stuck in that office _all_ day.” Pol was growing increasingly frustrated with his new ‘co-worker’, the man who insisted on working _all_ the time. He’d been appointed head of the division three months ago and as far as Pol knew, the man had hardly ventured beyond his condo… the office… and the corner restaurant. “It’s unhealthy.” He tacked on as he leaned on the door jamb. True, he probably shouldn’t care… but… well, he _was_ the new senior liaison. Basically, the man wrangled people from all over the world since the company had gone global.

Solas’ slate hues flicked up from over his rimless reading glasses at the younger man… Pol’s mouse brown hair cut short, his tapered ears poking out from beneath the plain cut. He supposed the boy was being kind… he pursed his lips in thought as he looked down at his paperwork… “I suppose… these can keep.” He pulled his glasses off and laid them on the desk, shaking his head slightly at the boy’s sudden smile, as if he’d won a grand victory. “Though, I must protest again on the proposed location for this outing.” He pulled his sports coat from the rack and slipped his arms in, adjusting the collar as he followed the younger man.

Pol smirked at Solas’ words. Of course he was protesting, Pol had suggested they head down to the Quarter, get a late dinner and check out some of the local music. “Oh, Solas, it’ll be fine. You’ve been in Rivain for what, three… four months now? And you haven’t set foot down there yet. You have to get acquainted with the local life. How else are you going to charm all those people into sending their hard earned coin this way?” He gave the oddly bald elf a nod before stepping onto the elevator that would deliver them to the garage.

Solas gave a disapproving look but followed… Pol’s car was… well, it fit his age. He didn’t care for the music either… he could tell that Pol had come from common stock but had risen above. Which was good really, thus was the way of things. He actually expected Pol to take him to a street vendor so he was pleasantly surprised when he showed him a nice little corner restaurant that served some of the best sea food he’d ever had. Even though he found the Quarter to be overly crowded… his posture stiff as he strolled, his hands tucked behind his back as he watched Pol weave through the throngs of people effortlessly, leading him deeper into the sea of bodies towards a place that looked like he’d get filthy just looking at it.

Pol felt like he was taking his estranged Uncle out or something, Solas was _all_ business, even at dinner. But, at least he was trying? Pol only thought about ditching him once… so maybe that was an improvement? He thought about taking him to one of the trendy bars that had opened up over on the main strip but he didn’t. He lead him over to The Wench, smirking at the look on the elf’s face as he lead him past the line and straight up to the bouncer, a crass looking elven man with a disagreeable disposition. “Tamlen!”

Tamlen raised a dark brow at whoever called his name… he only lightened his expression when he saw who it was. “Pol…” He held a hand out in greeting, clapping the man’s forearm in a sort of shaking gesture. “Where you been hidin’?” He glanced to the stiff man beside him, sneering slightly at the highborn, it was painfully obvious. Tamlen’s simple brown hair was fashioned into a three inch Mohawk, dyed a vibrant blue, his ears pierced all the way up to their delicately tapered ends, his sharp eyes rimmed with black. His shirt simple black and hugging his muscular form, his jeans held tight with a thick belt, chains glinting in the light, docs keeping the peace between his feet and the pavement.

Pol shook his head at him, leaning in to speak over the crowd’s milling, rolling the sleeves of his oxford up comfortably. “Working… gotta pay them bills.”

Tamlen nodded. “True enough. Head on in.” He opened the door for him and the highborn, ignoring the many boos and yells from the line. “Pipe down the lot a’ya or none a’ya are ge’en in!” He barked over his shoulder, smirking at the bald elf as he passed. “Keep your wits about ya in there, suit.”

Solas gave the doorman a scathing look as he followed Pol in… he wasn’t a stranger to that kind of attitude being flung at him but what he didn’t really equate was how Pol knew a man like that… Pol’s hair was combed perhaps in a newer fashion but still respectable, he wore a suit to work… and he was polite, no discernible tattoos or piercings… where the hell did Pol know this guy from? The inside of the place was more like a bar… in fact, it was a bar. Solas cringed at the dark walls… floor… hell, everything looked as though it was painted black when in fact, he was sure it had been brown at one point. The place was packed… Pol shouldered his way to the bar and held up two fingers… Solas barely made it up next to him. The music was deafening, punk, rap, dance, hip hop and rock blared from speakers that he couldn’t even begin to guess where they were hidden… he was ten seconds from leaving and calling his driver when the bartender walked over.

Tamriel smiled wide at Pol. “Hey stranger!” She leaned over the bar, her black spaghetti tank hugging her body as she nearly spilled out of it, a neon green bra keeping the girls in check, wrapping tattooed arms around his neck awkwardly for the wide bar in the way. Her vallaslen dedicated to June, the craftsmen, stark contrast upon her face as she pulled back, eyes the color of gold pinned the bald elf beside Pol with an open look before her attention returned to Pol. Her ears far more delicate than Tamlen’s or even Pol’s… they came to sharp tips that laid almost flush against the sides of her shaved scalp, pierced with many silver hoops that hugged the cartilage.  

Pol smiled just as wide to her. “Hey Tam… oh you know, working and stuff!” He gestured to Solas. “This is Solas! He’s like… big time at the company!” He yelled over the music, sliding her a few silver. “Two beers!”

Tamriel pushed her dark hair back out of her face, again… the sides of her head shaved into a rocker hawk, the ends of her nearly black hair bleached almost white, creating an odd effect. She gave Solas a look with a mouth frown and a nod that said _oh really, awesome_ as if she were hearing wonderful news. She shook her head at Pol, sliding his coin back to him. “Put that away, you know your coin is no good here!” She turned around and bent low, her torn and worn jeans hugging in all the right places to make the kiddies drool, her seatbelt style belt flashing in the lowlight, heavy boots that had seen more miles than she cared to even think on completed the ensemble. She pulled out two bottles and popped the tops on the edge of the bar, setting them before the two, silver rings flashing on her knuckles, bracelets, necklaces… all plural and all random… Tamriel tossed Solas a wink and a good natured nod towards Pol as if the two of them were in on a little secret.

Naturally, Solas noticed her… clothing. He also noticed.. that Pol noticed… the boy blushing in the dim light before he took his beer. Solas looked at the no name brown bottle with a disgusted face… but he took hold of it anyway. Pol leaned in and yelled at her again. “You performing tonight?”

Tamriel didn’t miss Mr. Highborn’s look but she let it go, she nodded at Pol. “Ten minutes!” She moved away to help other customers and glanced up, watching Pol turn towards that Solas guy and fall into a strained conversation… poor Pol, always trying to get people to _lighten up_ and live.

Solas still didn’t know why he was _still_ there… he’d accidently taken a swig of the beer and nearly spit it out onto the floor, he’d forced himself to swallow it, a shudder going down his spine. But… then the music died down… and changed. The rock died down and… went to the kind that one didn’t hear in a civilized establishment, that was for damned sure. Solas looked around as the crowd surged and the roar went out onto the street. He looked at Pol and watched the man holler like the rest of them, his hand lifted high, palm towards the now darkened bar. A moment later, he figured out why. That woman, that _Dalish_ … Tamriel… and a few other women that he hadn’t seen but who must have been behind the bar leapt up onto the worn surface from seemingly out of nowhere… (Some Bass Song) and started moving. Solas’ brows perked upwards in equal amounts of shock and… well, if he were to be honest, attraction. Of course, he felt it highly inappropriate but… he couldn’t look away. His pupils dilated as his slates flew over Tamriel’s lithe body, the way she moved… it spoke of the ancient blood that flowed through her veins, of a time when they… all of them… her people… once ran wild and hunted. It didn’t help that she made her way down the bar and eventually settled before him, Solas was treated to a prime view of her stomach as she laid out on the bar, her back arching almost too much, the muscles shifting beneath the skin, he saw the shine of silver from a bar that went through her belly button… when he looked at her properly, he felt the heat creeping up the sides of his neck… she was staring right back at him, a dark brow perked and a smirk playing on her lips… he swallowed roughly and took another long pull from the beer… not even noticing the acrid taste of the stuff. Once the song was over, the women all dropped off the bar… and he felt a nudge against his arm, he looked over at a rather excited Pol.

“Told you that you’d like this place!” Pol called over to him, smiling wide at the surprised, shocked… and probably other things on his face. Hell, Solas needed to get out and live a little! The rock kicked back in and Pol gave him a highbrowed nod.

“Quite.” Solas said low, knowing that Pol hadn’t heard him. He took a deep breath, licking the rest of the horrid beer from his lips, catching himself as he was already lifting the bottle back upwards to take another drink… he blinked and tilted it to the side… when had he drank it all? He turned it this way and that before he felt it snatched from his hand. He looked up and saw Tamriel walking away from behind the bar, dropping the bottle down into a trash can. He leaned forward, trying to get her attention… he didn’t want another one of those horrible drinks. “Miss!”

Tamriel couldn’t help the chortle that came from behind her lips at his call, she was already sliding a few beers down the bar to a couple of dwarves that were waiting eagerly. She turned around and pulled one of the glasses from the rack on the wall, rarely used but clean, she flipped it by the stem and set it down on the rubber mat on the counter and went to work. A minute later she let loose a whistle that caught the suit’s attention, setting a martini down in front of him, the cloudy gin swirling in the glass, the olive spinning around as the plastic sword slid around the rim… before he could move she plucked _that_ out of the drink and stuck the green fermented snack between her teeth, holding his eye as she bit down and slid it off the sword, a dark brow perked as she was walking away, still holding his surprised gaze over her shoulder before she finally turned away and tossed the useless plastic into the trash.


	2. Chapter 2

Solas had been looking back towards the door, longing to leave… and calculating just how long it would take to weave through the throng of people when that whistle caught his attention, he turned and saw the drink being set before him… he blinked, his lips parting for a moment in surprise… he looked up at her and then… she stole his olive! He wrapped long fingers around the stem and sniffed it before he took a sip… brows perked upwards as he felt the twinge in his jaw, his eyes closing for a moment as he swallowed. This drink… did not belong in a place like this, with dark yet beat filled rock mixed with club music blaring overhead, people pressing in against him… with leather and piercings and tattoos adorning their bodies… prepared by a woman who looked like she belonged, well… here, really. He took a healthy swallow, welcoming the gin as Pol caught his attention, smirking at him before he turned back around and started chatting up a dwarven woman who looked like she wanted to devour the poor boy. This was another reason Solas didn’t care to frequent places such as these… he shook his head slightly, honestly wishing the boy all the fun he could handle. He remembered what it was like, to be young, dumb, and full of… well everyone knew the saying. He decided he’d finish this drink, pay the tender, because he was sure that _his coin_ was good here… and then take his leave.

Solas had just set his glass down, the last few drops sliding back down into the well of the melted sand when he was bumped to the side… rather harshly really. He looked sharply to his right only for his brows to go high… it was the bartender beside him. Tamriel slid another martini in front of him and had a beer in her hand. “Uh… no, I was just about to go.” He strained his voice, trying to speak without yelling.

Tamriel smirked at him, shaking her head and sliding his empty glass away from him, taking his hand and setting it to the new drink. “No, you were just about to have a drink with me.” She said with no amount of mirth spared, taking a long pull from the beer bottle, her dark stained lips smirking before she did.

Solas flustered slightly when she moved his hand for him… his spine straightening at her boldness. “No, I—“ He found himself interrupted and subsequently crowded… Tamriel was… right there. He looked down at her, she was a good half foot shorter than he, which wasn’t necessarily unusual given his stature but… it was as if _she_ didn’t know that. His lips parted suddenly as he felt her against him… the look in those gold eyes of hers was predatory, which naturally had his jaw tensing and disapproval shining in his own slates, he swallowed roughly as he tried to step away from her only to find that he had nowhere to go, there were too many people. But… he noticed that she didn’t touch him with any other part of her body… it was only her chest against him… he blinked rapidly a few times, his eyes shifting away from her, as if he could locate someone else to throw him a lifeline. He spotted Pol all the way across the bar… his eyes widened… Pol had a beer in one hand and his other was sank down into the hair of that dwarf woman as she sat over his lap in one of the booths set against the wall… and Solas didn’t want to even know what was going on. He looked back down at Tamriel quickly, taking in a whole lot of air as his lips formed a thin line. “Miss—“

Tamriel smirked up at him, feeling the gambit flooding her system, the marks on her forearms hiding beneath the elastic strapping she always wore for that exact purpose, the euphoria washing over her even as she felt the tension welling up around him. “Tam.” She corrected him, setting her beer down but not letting it go. “Come now, _Solas_ … a single night of fun won’t kill you.”

Solas saw her pupils dilate, taking it as attraction, he swallowed roughly… the way she purred his name had a tingle race down his spine. _Creators preserve me…_ he cursed in his mind as he looked around… his slates flicking back down to her… and the challenge that was sinking into her eyes. He lifted the martini she’d made him and took a sip… tensing at its strength… she wasn’t kidding about a night of fun. He swallowed and downed the whole thing, shuddering before setting it down. _What the hell do you think you’re doing…_ he shook his head slightly at himself, blaming his poor decision making on the fact that he was already exhausted, stressed, and slightly inebriated.

About two hours later… Pol was lounging in the booth, his sixth or seventh beer dangling from his fingers… his oxford unbuttoned, his white ribbed tank undershirt pushed up… his belt undone… and that beautiful little woman’s hand down the front of his slacks, his other arm wrapped around her, pulling her close… smiling into her neck as she swayed towards him. She was trying to convince him to leave with her… but Pol had come with someone, he hadn’t forgotten that part yet. In fact… he hadn’t been able to find that someone in the crowd for awhile now… he kept checking the bar area, the door area… nothing. Base songs blared overhead, the crowd having been gyrating against one another as the night had started wearing on… Tamlen had shut the door at midnight, those who were in were in, those who weren’t? Well, sucked to be them. He was just looking over the crowd, people watching when he blinked rapidly, setting his beer down and rubbing at his eyes… sure they were tricking him. “Holy shit…” He couldn’t help it, the words fell out of his mouth as his eyes locked on… no, that couldn’t be him. _Yeah, because there are so many bald elves out there._ Solas was there, amongst the sea of bodies, his jacket gone… his oxford gone… an undershirt not unlike Pol’s nearly glued to his body… which was actually quite built… who would have thought? His slacks bunched up at his hips… since they were fisted… in the hands of Tamriel?! The woman had her rear planted firmly in his lap as they moved with the beat in a way that was positively sinful and… damn… Solas’ hands were _all over her…_ no way! Pol blinked and focused again, sure he wasn’t seeing what he thought he was seeing… Solas’ hand flew up the center line of her body, taking hold of her jaw and pitching her face up towards him and shadowing her lips… damn… old dude got game! Pol could see from here that Tamriel was freaking putty in his hands! The man’s other hand was splayed over the front of her hip, keeping her to him as _Solas_ could give half the _people_ on the floor a lesson on how to move ones pelvis with the beat of music in a motion so fluid that Pol could see from here that Tam was more than lost to him… Pol couldn’t help but bark out a disbelieving laugh and when the dwarven woman asked him what was so funny, he had to tell her… naturally, she didn’t find it as funny as he did… and she was irritated that he’d been distracted… but he quickly returned to giving her his attention, and she was happy when he told her that they should get out of there, he was pretty sure that Solas could find his own ride home now…


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Megaphone: Smut chapter! Drunk sezzy time here!  
> NC17 or whatever.

Closing time came quicker than Solas thought it would… he knew he should be mortified at his behavior but he was too drunk to care. He had his arm thrown over the bartender’s neck, he didn’t even notice the doorman’s surprised yet disapproving glare as they left… his blazer in her hand, dragging on the ground as she laughed. Solas’ own smile gripped him as he nearly stumbled. He let her lead him down the sidewalk, the boardwalk eerily disserted this time of night… or rather, morning. They stumbled as they went, her laughter was infectious… and her arm around his waist was like a tether… his loafers scraped against the worn wood boards of the dock as she led him to a building? No, a house… at the end of a ridiculously long pier, in his opinion… and he voiced that it was just that… ridiculously long. She just laughed at his observation and unlocked the heavy wooden door… as soon as she was inside, Solas surprised himself, even in his inebriated state. He was on her so fast, she dropped her keys… his hands were in her hair as he invaded her mouth, tasting that acrid beer on her tongue and not caring… she struggled to try and close the door… she did for the most part though the latch didn’t catch. The house, nothing more than a building that was once a boat house… having been filled in to be a single floor open house, broken up by furniture and nothing more… wide bank of windows on the wall opposite the door giving a view of the sea. Her hands pulled at his undershirt, which he gladly removed… her hands on his skin felt like fire… his mind was foggy and his body craved this. It was hungry, demanding… desperate, and she responded to him in all the right ways. They were a tornado through her house, knocking things over… tripping over things… nearly falling many times before he landed atop her on the bed, kicking his slacks off the rest of the way, pulling at her lacy underwear at the same time… his body already eager. He felt her hands dive beneath his boxer briefs, clutching at his rear and pulling a growl from him as he surged towards her, her bare chest scraping against his, he felt the cold steel from the hoops that went through her nipples… it made his head spin. The stud in her tongue did the same to him… the hoop in her lower lip the same… what _wasn’t_ pierced on her?! He questioned in his mind. Her vallaslen trekked well past her face, which he knew was traditional… it flowed down from her neck, and went all the way to her toes… he could tell the difference between the traditional markings and her tattoos… not just by design but by the grooves that were in the center of the lines… he kissed a hungry trail over them, his teeth scraping against her skin as he did, finally tearing her underwear from her as she cried out for him.

Tamriel was lost so fast, her desire soaked body liquid against him. It was like he was starved for contact, whether it was because he was drunk or… it was her own perception, she had no idea… she rarely took anyone home, so it wasn’t like she had a lot of experience with this. But damned if he didn’t know how to make her temperature fly through the roof, her body twist and squirm… and he never slowed his pace, it was fevered from the moment he was on her… she didn’t even think to slow him or deny his advance. She marveled at his bare skin, unmarked and unmarred except for a single knick of a scar on his brow… if it weren’t for the way he was kissing her, touching her… she’d think him an innocent… but he was acting far too wicked to be as such. He covered her as soon as she was bare to him, she felt him between her legs, his body drumming with need… she pulled at his waistband but he didn’t let her move it downward… she had her eyes closed for awhile now… she felt him roll his hips against her, mimicking the act and pulling a moan from her, she turned her head to the side only to feel his long fingers wrap up her jaw, forcing her to look back at him. _Open your eyes…_ his voice came out so deep, gravel filled and dripping with a dark desire that had her body shudder… she shook her head slightly… she felt his hand tighten its hold on her and he ground himself against her more firmly, her hands clutched at him. _Open your eyes…_ he nearly growled at her… she finally cracked them, looking up at him slowly… her pupils shining in the low light, the blue reflection catching the moonlight that was spilling in from the windows behind her bed… and there on the rim of her golden irises… gilded light shining that was not the result of any reflection. She trembled as she took a sharp breath… she saw the same there in his eyes only more vibrant.

Solas swallowed roughly as he saw that glow… he surged forward, pleasure pouring over him as he looked down into her eyes… “ _Eralan._ ” (Mage) He whispered before dipping down and greedily capturing her lips, feeling her hands pull at his waistband sharply, desperation gripping the air around them. He gave her room this time… feeling himself freed had his brows draw low, his length falling down upon her, his hips tensing at the feeling… he pulled back, away from her all together… smirking at her frown… he bent near backwards completely as he settled on his knees… snatching his slacks from the floor… pulling his wallet out with a frustrated grunt _give it!_ He tugged the slight foil package out, giving her another smirk as he tore it open. “I’m not that damn drunk…” he swayed slightly, belittling his words.

Tamriel took a ragged breath at his invocation of the ancient language of their people… he was one too. The bloodline that was almost eradicated centuries ago… there were so few of them left… and they couldn’t do _much_ with it, it was just there… junk DNA left over. But it still made them valuable in certain circles… she frowned when he pulled away but gave a bit of a laugh at him. She pointed to the bedside table… “Drawer. Drunk but not stupid.” She bit down on her lower lip as she watched him… suit up.

Solas couldn’t help the deep chested chuckle in response to her words… truth that spilled from her lips. He made a face as he rolled the shield on, it’d been… awhile. But he got it right… he looked back up at her… the look on her face… how she was laid out before him. Her body flushed.. he set his hands on her knees and shook his head at himself. “Can’t believe I’m about to do this…” He said low as he climbed up her body, his lips instantly finding her skin… her breast on his way… he paused over her nipple and looked up at her… his tongue slipping out. The metal foreign to him but she squirmed and moaned in a way that had him take in a sharp breath… _damn…_ all he’d done was flip that hoop over to the other side. He bent further and gave her nipple a healthy suckle, her hands roamed him, clutched at him… toyed with the sharp point of his ears… her moans spilled out of her as she moved beneath him. He pulled away, letting her breast fall from his mouth… he covered her fully and took hold of himself, taking in shallow breath as he felt her arms around him, her hands clutching and pulling, her eyes pleading him… he set himself to her and pushed… his mouth falling open as he shook, her body pulling at him just as she did… he drove himself into her and threw his head back, her blunt nails scoring his back as she cried out. He arranged himself, one arm sliding beneath her knee… he didn’t waste any time. He fell into a steady rhythm, her moans filling the air as he moved… his hand gripping the outside of her thigh as he nearly  had her doubling over for how deep he tried to go each time his hips met hers… his other hand fisting her hair as he braced his weight onto the mattress… her screams of pleasure ripping through the silence.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Symbols Clanging: Continued Smut!! More smut here!!  
> NC17 and whatnot.

Tamriel had never been so satisfied before… to say he was good would be a disservice. The bedside table drawer was left open, that box that she’d bought a year ago, and only because the old box had expired, the box that had only one missing from it was torn open hastily… half a strip torn off, wrappers littering the floor as she gripped the mattress, her sheets gathered in her hands… he’d hardly left her body for hours. It truly was as if he was starved for it… his hold on her hips was pleasurably painful, the way he drove her to the edge and over, ensuring she found release before he chased his own… he was a generous lover- another thing that was unexpected. The way he fell over her, gathered her against him as his thrusts went deep, the way his tenor leapt from him when he came, all of it had her near delirious. This time, though, she could tell… was the last. He was far more determined, as if he were savoring it… he had her bent over her own bed, his stance braced behind her, the sky lightening with the coming dawn… his hand traveled up her back and took hold of her shoulder as his other traveled around, toyed with her as she cried out… her release crashing over her as her knees went weak… she felt his arms slip around her fully, pulling her up to him… she was loose and wonton against him, his hands holding her, the way he moved changed, his breath against her neck as she felt his teeth against her skin, nipping and scraping… “Yes…” She moaned to him, her hand lifting to palm his crown, slick with sweat from his efforts… he’d been skirting around the action all night… his hand covered her breast as he moved more harshly, his piercing thrusts pulling pleasure filled yelps from her as she pulled at him.

Solas was all feeling, logical thought gone… drunk not just on the liquor but on her body. Each time he filled her, each time she undiluted upon him… he found himself longing for a closer connection… each time he had to shield himself, he found himself loathing the invention of such things. But he did it… knowing it dulled the feeling of her. Now, he had her where he desired her most… his mouth watering as his eyes fluttered and he felt his spine roll, his hips thrusting, his hands gripping her tightly as he moved… her affirmation and the way she palmed him… her other hand holding fast to his rear, feeling the muscles work… his breath sawing in and out of him… _don’t_ … he shook his head sharply… feeling his orgasm moments away… he felt her hands claw at him as her body pulsed around him again… he growled low in his throat, a nameless cloud rolling in his pupils, a blend of indigo and white, an ancient power long since forgotten… his teeth flashed a moment before he sank them into the sensitive skin between her neck and shoulder, holding onto her as he came viciously, feeling himself empty and be restricted, limited… blocked. He bit down harder… his hand on her hip clawing at her… her scream ripping through the air, pleasure flooding her anew… he slammed his eyes shut as he wanted nothing more than to withdraw and rip that damned thing off of himself and drive himself back into her to feel her in earnest… a dangerous thought, a foolish thought, he knew. But he didn’t… he reached between them and held the edge, withdrawing as he opened his mouth… feeling his teeth pop loose from her tender skin, not deep enough to draw blood but plenty deep enough to bruise. He shuddered around her, his arms going back around her to hold her upright… he kissed her neck feverishly before he felt her sway.

Tamriel had never felt anything like him… who the hell knew the suit would be this damned good… she felt exhaustion pull at her as she leaned against him… then she went weightless, she gasped and looked up at him, his face was solemn but his eyes still swam in the drink… she smirked as he laid her down on the bed and turned away. She rolled over and closed her eyes… she was nearly asleep when she felt the bed dip… _holy shit, he’s staying?_ She looked over her shoulder, he was laid out on his stomach, his boxers back on… a soft snore already sounding. Hell, he was probably just as exhausted as she was, if not more… she shook her head and laid back down, shaking her head slightly and subconsciously itching at her forearm before darkness took her.


	5. Chapter 5

Solas woke up just before noon, blinking against the onslaught of light. He rolled and stretched before shooting up with panic clawing at him… he looked around sharply… his memory yet to catch up. He heard a soft mew of a sound to his left… he shot a look down and took a ragged breath, holding it slightly as he saw her… bare to the world and laid out there on her side, her back to him. Her vallaslen the only markings on this side of her… aside from the ones… he’d… put… there. He swallowed roughly as he saw the results of his… efforts. All systems coming back online, he remembered the night before with stark clarity and slid to the edge of the bed slowly… cradling his brow in his hand with regret forming a solid ball of disapproval in his stomach. _You are far too old to be doing shit like this…_ he got up and sought out her bathroom, once done, splashing water on his face… standing up and looking in the mirror he startled and leaned forward… “What the…” He craned his neck to the side… he had… _hickies?!_ Three of them… two were around his collar… the other though was smack dab in the middle of the side of his neck. He sighed heavily and shook his head at his own reflection. “Idiot.” He left the bathroom and made for his slacks, passing the small trashcan that was beside the bed… his eyes widening as he glanced down into it. Apparently he’d cleaned up before he’d gone to sleep… he shook his head at himself again, a disgusted look crossing his face as he pulled his slacks back on, his undershirt next, tucking it in before he cinched his belt. He searched for a moment before he found his shoes… sitting on the edge of the bed as he put them on, lacing them quietly. He ended up standing at the foot of the bed, buttoning the cuffs of his oxford, looking at her sleeping form intently. His eyes fell to her arm… and the track marks there. His brow went low with a mix of disgust, disapproval… and pity. He picked his jacket up off the floor by the door… the door that was still open? He shook his head again as he stepped out, easing it shut behind him before he headed down the pier, pulling his phone out of the jacket’s inner pocket and unlocking the screen. There were ten missed calls… he furrowed his brow and rolled his eyes… they were all from Pol. Three texts were sent no more than fifteen minutes ago… that was probably what had woke him up since he’d had his ringer turned down.

_11:30    hey u alive man?_

_11:35    hello? do I have 2 send sum1 2 find u?_

_11:40    dude, this isnt funny._

Solas sighed as he flicked the screen and started typing.

12:01    I’m fine, relax.

_12:02    holy shit, he lives._

Solas blinked at the immediate reply, was Pol waiting by the phone? What the hell… he shook his head and dialed his driver, giving him the location before he went back to the text screen.

12:05    Naturally. You don’t have to worry about me, Pol, I assure you, I am capable of taking care of myself, you know.

 _12:06_     _ya, or did she take care of u? XD_

Solas tensed, his lips forming a thin line.

12:06    What are you talking about?

Yeah, he’d play dumb… that would… work?

_12:07    LOL k, u don’t kiss n tell, hope u at least said bi b4 u bounced._

Solas grew quiet as he read the text, glancing over his shoulder to the house at the end of the pier that was more than a mile down the boardwalk at this point.

12:07    Don’t know what you’re talking about.

_12:08    Sure u don’t. K, just wanted 2 make sure u were still living. C u @ work Monday._

12:08    Wednesday, meeting in Val Royeaux on Monday.

_12:09    Right. Forgot._

Solas locked the screen and stuffed the phone back into his breast pocket now that his coat was back on. He rubbed at his temple and ignored the minor guilt that was gnawing at him over just leaving like that… but she was… obviously the kind of woman that was used to this sort of thing, surely she’d get over it. The fact that she was from a rare bloodline was… surprising but… she was poisoning herself… he didn’t need to interact with her ever again… drug addicts weren’t exactly his kind of people. Hell, none of them were… how Pol knew any of them was beyond him. The sleek black sedan pulled up and he got in, the driver knowing that he had little patience to wait to be let in. He sat comfortably on the leather, adjusting his jacket and giving the dwarven man a wave of fingers when he asked if he was just heading home.


	6. Chapter 6

Later that evening, Solas looked up from his paperwork as a buzzer sounded through his condo… he glanced at the clock on the wall, the sleek silver hands indicating that it was almost ten at night. “What the…” He got up and walked over to the intercom, clicking for the video feed. His spine went rigid as he saw _her_ standing there, swiveling around on the heel of her boot aimlessly. “How the hell…” His lip curled at the many ideas of how she found him went through his head when she pushed the button again. He flipped the switch over and couldn’t chase away the curtness in his tone… he wasn’t drunk anymore. “What do you want?”

Tamriel nearly jumped out of her skin when his voice filled the air around her, she actually looked around for a moment before looking back at the nondescript silver plate on the granite wall. She stared at it untrustingly before inching closer to it… her finger going out and hesitantly pushing the other small button on the plate. “Uh… he… hello?”

Solas rolled his eyes in an irritating manner. “Yes? What do you want?”

Tamriel raised her brows at his tone but shook it off. “Yeah I’m looking for… Solas? He uh… well…” She dug around in her coat pocket, the leather soft and supple from years of use. She chased the pocket for a moment before tearing the small white card out and flipping it over, squinting down at it, her hair and the few braids studded throughout sliding off her shoulder. “I found this… uh…” She brought it closer to her face in the dim light. “Card thingy… he must have dropped it when he was getting the con—uh… he must have accidently dropped it… at… the bar.” She recovered quickly, she had no idea who the hell she was talking to. “It looks important and… he might want it back.” She finished, looking up and around slightly.

Solas watched her with a certain look… the kind you gave when you so didn’t trust someone. The picture wasn’t the greatest so he couldn’t see exactly what she was looking at… but her words had him blink rapidly before his brows went low, he walked over to the breakfast bar and picked his wallet up… opening it and flipping to the slot where he’d kept his condom, which was usually in the slot behind his company ID card, the one that allowed him access to all his business computers and his entire office… it was gone. He tensed and looked back at the display on the wall by his door… he made a face and stalked over to it. Begrudgingly hitting the _open_ button, watching as she jumped away from the glass door. “Bring it up. Third floor.” He waited until she opened the door before he opened his own and went out onto the landing to wait… he looked down the stairwell and saw her step in, wide eyes looking around, a low whistle coming from her. He rolled his eyes and thought about yelling down at her, but his propriety wouldn’t allow it. Plus, he wasn’t the only one to live in this building.

Tamriel felt… well, out of place, obviously. Everything was… _beige_. She felt like it’d rub off on her if she so much as touched the walls of this place. Of course the suit would live in a place like this… she started up the stairs, her boots thudding on them as she took them two at a time, hoisting herself up with aid of the handrail, at least that was silver, no chance of catching the beige from it. She rounded a corner and pulled up short, jumping slightly when she saw him standing there. Slacks and a turtleneck that probably cost more than her freaking car, she perked her brows upwards at him.. and the look on his face. Well, he wasn’t exactly pleased to see her.

Solas had thought that maybe… in this florescent lighting that… she wouldn’t be as attractive as he’d thought she was the night before. But… he was wrong. It wasn’t the low lights of that disgusting bar, it was just her. But his eyes flicked down to her arm and back up to her, even though she wore a jacket, he knew what lay beneath it now. “You have something of mine.” He said curtly as he folded his arms over his chest.

Tamriel made a mock shocked face. “The voice.” She held her hands out, the card between thumb and forefinger, her palms facing him. She gave a bit of a laugh and rolled her eyes. “Easy, suit… you dropped this.” She held it out to him and raised a brow as he practically snatched it from her without so much as stepping forward, acting as though she had the plague. She gave a bit of a shrug. “Wow, gee, thank you Tam… oh, you’re quite welcome, Solas.” She mimicked a conversation, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, giving him a droll stare after she was done, her hip jutting outwards as she kept her weight upon one leg.

Solas narrowed her eyes at her, not appreciating her attitude nor her candor though his eyes flicked downward to that damned hip… it only made him dislike her more… for tempting him so. He tucked the card in his back pocket. “Yeah. Well, thanks.” He gestured to the stairs with a kick of his chin before turning towards his door.

Tamriel raised her brows at him. “Ouch…” She said low with mirth dancing in her eyes. “I knew I should have waited until Monday, ya know… brought it up to Arlathan Industries…” She watched as his shoulders pitched upwards slightly and look over his shoulder at her, a warning flashing in his eyes.  She just shook her head at him, giving him a scathing look from head to toe as she turned back down the stairs… “Suits, all the same. Good for a fuck and not much else.”

Solas felt a chill race over him at her initial words… but then his jaw fell open at her look and words both, turning to look after her as she started down the stairs… he stepped over to the railing and literally looked down at her. “The same can be said for people like you… now, don’t ever come back here again.” His voice was kept low but it held all the threat he could muster, which was a lot considering he was getting a rather unwelcomed but damned good view down her shirt. He watched as she just threw her head back and let out a chortle, shaking her head at him.

“People like me…” She couldn’t help the laughter. “You don’t have to worry about me coming back here, _precious_. I might catch something…” She gave a shudder as she rounded the next landing, hoisted herself up onto the banister and slid down the rest of the way, leaping off at the bottom and skipping the last few steps before she spilled out onto the street.

Solas took in a whole lot of air at her dismissal… and her corresponding tone, it was full of disgust. She? Disgusted with him? This place? Ha! He went back into his condo and tossed the key card back onto the breakfast bar, walking over to the bank of windows that lined the entire wall of his condo and looked out the double sided mirrored glass, watching her cross the street at a bit of a jog, looking left and right as she did. “Probably heading out for her next fix…” He ground out, his fist clinching tight against his bicep as he had already crossed his arms over his chest, feeling the need to take _another_ hot shower. He saw her walk up to the driver’s side of a boat of a car, old but well kept… she got in, the engine roaring to life, he heard it even from here and realized that he had heard her drive up. He watched her hand appear out the window, dangling off the side, a cigarette hanging there before the vehicle tore off down the street. He shook his head with a curl of his lip. “And just think… you let yourself touch that.” He shuddered again… and went to take that shower.


	7. Chapter 7

Wednesday morning, Solas was avoiding Pol… but the boy was insistent. He cornered him in the break room… Solas groaned internally as Pol recounted who _he_ went home with that night… he wasn’t particularly listening until the name _Tamriel_ drifted through the conversation, then he blinked, hissing as the coffee spilled over the rim of the mug and onto his fingers. “Excuse me?”

Pol smirked, he knew that Solas wasn’t listening by that far off look in his eyes but he cut the guy a break because he’d only just gotten back, Orlieseans were tough at the best of times. “I said… so, how is Tamriel?”

Solas’ brows went low as he shook his head at him and left the room, heading back down to his office. “How… why would I know?”

Pol couldn’t help but smirk again, following him into his office, leaning against the wall just inside. “Oh… I don’t know… maybe because you were practically mounting her right there on the dance floor?”

Solas’ spine straightened at Pol’s words, the look he sent him was full of a warning and disgust. “Yeah well… we all make mistakes.”

Pol’s own brows went down slightly. “Hey…” He glanced over his shoulder before shoving off and approaching Solas’ desk. “Tam’s a lot of things but a mistake isn’t one of them.” He said low, offense shining through his words.

Solas looked up at the boy with a firm expression. “I prefer not to associate with people who… choose to live their lives… in ways that will almost always guarantee their own destruction.” He kept his voice low but still, the disgust was present.

Pol looked at him oddly again. “Look, man… I don’t know what you’re talking about okay… but… Tam’s not living her life… like… whatever. I’ve known her… hell, we all went to school together. She’s a good person and you’re damned lucky if she gave you the time of day.” He backed up a bit and held his hand up. “I’m not saying you two should get together or anything but damn, man… don’t fucking look down your nose at her.” His somewhat smile faded at the last. “She didn’t have to bring you your damn employee card.”

Solas’ expression was firm up until the last. “You were the one.” He rolled his lips in obvious ire. “You told her where I lived?” He nearly hissed the words.

Pol smirked and nodded. “Of course I did… because _I_ have no knowledge that you lost it, _if_ I did… I’d have to report it.” He tilted his head slightly back and forth with the words.

Solas took a controlled breath, shaking his head at the man. “You told… a drug addict… where I lived…” He said the words slow… his brows raised as his anger shined in his eyes.

Pol’s features immediately hardened, the look in his eyes went guarded. “We all have our own demons, Solas…” His tone went uncharacteristically low with wisdom and warning, he scoffed at the man as he backed up towards the door. “I’m going to go now… before either of us says anything that might damage our working relationship.” He nodded. Hell, he knew that Tam’s… extracurricular activities were jarring… he didn’t like it either… and he didn’t blame Solas for his worry, not really. So, he removed himself from the situation.

Solas watched Pol go, those words ringing around his mind. He shook his head sharply before returning to work… though he was slow to focus for the rest of the day. Hell, for the rest of the week.


	8. Chapter 8

Come Friday, he was no better… and Pol, bless the boy… he’d seemingly forgotten or chose to forget about their conversation. He popped in that Friday evening and wished him a fun weekend, told him to stay out of trouble and left with a bit of a spring in his step. Solas bet he knew exactly where he was going. Solas however… he had it in his mind to return to that restaurant in the Quarter… he truly did enjoy the sea food there. He had gotten there later than he had intended, there was apparently some sort of festival happening in the Quarter… but he was able to get a seat at the bar… his food was just as delicious as he had remembered and he left a healthy tip, smiling at the waitress who beamed at him in return. Back out on the street, he strolled down the sidewalk, heading for the area past the blockade, where it was quieter so he could make the call to his driver. He was nearly there when he was nearly ran over by a rowdy group of festival-goers. _Right… this was Andruil’s night._ The people were out in force for the night dedicated to the Goddess of the Hunt. He smirked good-naturedly at the young elves who hooted and hollered, the music drifting over the Quarter… the smells on the air, spices… they smelled so much like the plains. He couldn’t help but look behind him as his pace slowed. He remembered… when he was younger, how he’d participate. Andruil’s night was much more… intense, back in those days. Granted, he’d not grown up in the city… thus, their celebrations on the plains were more… wild. He shook his head slightly before turning back towards the way he had been going when he heard an odd… out of place sound off to his right. His brows shot downward as he looked into the darkness… the alleyway barely lit, but he caught the reflection of one set of elven eyes… and a whimper drifted on the air, recognition itching at the back of his mind. _Keep walking_ … his brain told him. But the next growling words that sank into his ear… now that he was focused on listening… had him duck into the darkness. _Come on, Rabbit…_

Tamriel was cursing herself a million times over as she shook… the man’s hand around her neck as he breathed his disgusting breath against her cheek, she felt the brick against her back, biting into her shoulder blades. “Just… let go…” She managed, only for him to jerk her harder, that damn whimper came out of her much to her own disgust, her lower lip trembling as she turned away from his scarred face.

The man, human and from out of town… a _sailor_ come to port for the festival, had spotted her at the bar… and followed her. He had a good fifty pounds on her… and he’d liked what he’d seen. She’d told him no… of course. But he’d saw her… _scratch_ … and he’d baited her like any fish… hook, line, and sinker. “Come on, Rabbit…” His other hand was already grabbing hold of her ass, his eyes saturated with want… damned if she wanted to give it or not. Her slender hands pushing against him, clawing at his wrist… desperate for space and freedom, the feeling of her shake between him and the wall was only arousing him more. “I told you, give me what I want and I’ll give you what you _need_.”

Tamriel closed her eyes tightly as she felt him grab her… hating the tear that slid down her cheek. That _need_ making her feel like she was crawling out of her own skin, making her mind skip around, her body shake and itch all over, and it was only getting worse… making her unable to deal with the situation in any way. “No.” She croaked out as he tightened his hold on her throat, her nails digging into his wrist as she started to struggle more, but he only pushed himself against her harder… pitching her head backwards, her chin up as she choked out a muffled cry. Her eyes flew open wide when the man was suddenly gone… she startled violently as she looked around, her feet already starting to move as she tripped over some debris in the alley. She squinted at the man… the human sprawled on the pavement… and Solas standing there in front of her, glaring down at him with a look that was… well, dangerous. “Solas? What…?” She made a strangled sound when he turned towards her and jerked her arm, dragging her behind him and back towards the street. “H.. he… hey!”

Solas had felt that unnamed power surge in his mind, flare brightly as he faded at the man, slamming into him violently and throwing him to the ground… he hit hard. Solas’ breath was sawing in and out of him as his muscles all twitched with aggression. His brow held low… he heard her speak… he just shook his head and turned, dragging her after him until they were out onto the street… where he’d meant to release her, now that they were amongst people. But… he didn’t. He didn’t until she was pulling at him, digging her heels into the sidewalk… they were more than two blocks past the blockade, far from the festivities when he finally let her go, still he started to pace in his adrenaline fueled movements. _What the hell were you thinking?!_

Tamriel went from being manhandled by one to another! She was finally free… her movements no more still than his, her eyes flicking around as she felt like clawing her eyes out. “What the hell?!” Her voice wasn’t even steady… she wiped her face roughly… her hand immediately falling to scratch at her forearm through the leather roughly… her steps halting but still jittery as she started looking around, tilting her head as she closed her eyes, swaying slightly. She turned away from him and dug her phone out, fingers shaking as she swiped it open… bringing it up to her face as her vision trembled and dimmed, came back up and shook, everything resulting in tracers. She had it up to her ear as her mind went tunnel vision, the world around her disappearing. “Hey! Hey… it’s me… yeah… I uh… yeah! Yeah, man, I need some real bad… I’m uh…” She started looking around almost wildly. “I’m in front of—“ She fumbled the phone… she thought, realizing in the next second that someone had just taken it from her. “Hey!!” She screeched, leaping after it… her eyes falling to Solas? When the hell did he get… right! “Give it, NO!” She watched in horror as he threw her phone across the street, his hand gripping her upper arm before she could chase after it… it vanished into darkness. She shoved against him, desperate to go after it. “NO! I _need_ that!”

Solas watched with a certain amount of horror as she… seemed to unravel right there in front of him… her neck was red and marred from that damn human… and now… he was stunned silent at first, his anger still lighting up his veins. He heard the desperation in her voice… he shook his head sharply, taking the few strides over to her swiftly and jerking the phone out of her grasp and throwing it… he didn’t know why but that was _enough_. He wasn’t about to stand there and listen to her order up drugs like a fucking pizza. He held fast to her, even as she started to fight him. “No.” He said firmly, starting to walk down the street as she started yelling at him, incoherent curses as she struggled. He had to think for a moment before he remembered how to get to her… house. They got plenty of looks… but no real concern since… she wasn’t calling for help or anything. He fought with her over her pockets, he jerked away and wiped at his face… she had spat in his fucking face! He shot her a look of rage before he jerked her keys from her pocket and shouldered his way into her house and threw her in, letting go, hearing her stumble behind him as he shut the door. He slammed his palm on the worn surface, his eyes flashing as a seal went around the frame, locking it more securely than any metal lock ever could. He turned around and looked around suddenly… where the hell had she gone?


	9. Chapter 9

There were no walls in this entire house except for the… “Tamriel?!” He ran towards the bathroom, the door was shut and the light was on. He jerked at the handle… it was locked. He cursed as he heard things clattering to the floor… he drove his shoulder into the wood, the jam splintering as he spilled into the small space… his eyes widening as he saw her balanced on the rim of the toilet, reaching for a box overhead… the look on her face told him exactly what was in it. “No!” He took hold of her by the waist… and caught an elbow to the nose. He barked out a strangled sound as he slipped and fell down beside the tub, taking her with him.

Tamriel’s fingers brushed against the worn lacquer of the box, it was _right_ there! She knew he was there… but if she could just get it… damn it! She slammed her elbow backwards to try and get him off her, reaching again for it before they went down. She let out a scream of frustration before the pain lit up her spine, she cried out as she tried to curl up and stretch out at the same time, her body twisting on her. Her eyes fixed upon the box as she felt his arms tighten around her. “I _need it!!_ ” She strained, reaching upwards though she was far from it now. She felt the tears pouring down her temples as her jacket wedged up around her shoulders improperly.

Solas’ nose felt like it was going to explode… his breathing wouldn’t slow as he held onto her… damn she was a lot stronger than she looked. He was horrified… a great deal of himself didn’t even know what the hell he was doing there… why he was even there! Why he hadn’t been able to stop thinking of her all fucking week… he held onto her tighter… her body twisting as she screamed and cried out, he heard the pain in her voice. He’d never thought… damn… that was real pain. He closed his eyes tightly as he reached up and took hold of her wrist, pulling her arm back down. “No.” He said firmly, feeling her body shake against him. His muscles all ached by the time he was able to ease his hold… it must have been at least two hours… he took a ragged breath as he ran his hand over her brow, sweat soaked and burning up, he frowned deeply as she trembled out from under the touch, her eyes squeezed shut as she twitched all over. He picked her up, awkward as it was… another scream ripped from her as she tried to hold onto him and get away from him at the same time… he carried her over to her bed… laying her down on it just as she lurched to the side and reached desperately, he backed up slightly in confusion before he looked away with a pained expression, paling around his lips… the sound of her retching into that small trashcan she kept by her nightstand filled the air. He forced himself to look back at her… pulling her hair back and out of the way as she wept and grimaced… everything she had in her being forcibly evicted from her body. She finally fell back onto the bed and started pulling at her clothes desperately. Solas started to push the pail away slowly only for her to speak and damn near scare the hell out of him.

“No… keep it… I… I’ll… need it…” She couldn’t feel anything yet everything forced its way into her skin, she felt it all. She was burning up but freezing… she pulled at her clothes, wanting them off but wanting to wear them all… she wanted to be loud but be quiet, she wanted to scream and cry, laugh but weep… she felt him pull her boots off, she winced and twitched, her whole body tensing. “Why…” She cried, tears falling on their own as she looked down at him, desperation marring her brow, pain lighting her up all over and inside…

Solas nodded and left the pail by the bed before he pulled her boots off of her, looking up at her question… and how small she sounded. He blinked at the look in her eyes… the gold ring around her irises shining brightly in her pain. He realized that… he wanted to know her… but he couldn’t have this be a part of her. He didn’t say that though… he just spoke low, having started to speak at a normal volume but watched her wince violently. “Because… I want you clear.” He pulled the rest of her clothes from her, leaving only her black lacy underwear and neon pink bra… he frowned as she started scratching immediately, the marks on her arms raw… as if her skin was desperate for it just as she was. He realized that… he didn’t have a clue what he was doing. He swallowed as he went up to her face, setting his hand to her cheek only for her to tremble out from under it again, making a pained expression. “Tam… what do you use…” He needed to know so he could… look it up. And didn’t that just make him feel inadequate.

Tamriel struggled against her very skin, she swore she could feel gravity itself pushing her down. “Gambit.” She breathed, not caring why he was asking. “It’s in the bathroom…” She looked at the door longingly, reaching towards it… desperation riding her hard as she wept again, curling into a small ball, her knees to her chin.

Solas nodded, he’d heard of it… the only thing he knew was that it was bad. He walked over to the bathroom… looked back at her… and the hope in her eyes… and knew she’d be disappointed, tough. He pulled the box down and opened it… the red glowing liquid staring back up at him. He sneered down at it as he uncorked the vial and poured it into the toilet, hearing her cry out… he flushed it and stomped on the glass on the floor, swept it up with the hand broom from under the sink and that went into the toilet too… he broke the needle he found in the box… and once satisfied that she couldn’t use any of it… looked back at her. She was tossing and turning on the bed, her whole body was covered in sweat, he could see it from here… he splashed water on his face, pulling his sleeves up before drying off. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and… felt like an idiot… but googled how to get someone off of gambit. Frowning deeply at what he read. It was a gauntlet… which was why so many never went off of it. And if they did… they almost always toed the line, or so they thought. The drug itself induced euphoria and dulled the senses… as well as went to work on the frontal cortex… where long term memories were stored, blurring them out. _What is it you don’t want to remember, Tamriel…_ he sighed as he read on. The text spoke of days… _days_ of withdraw symptoms… she wouldn’t be able to keep anything down, but it was important that she eat, drink… she’d flip from hot to cold and back again, she’d run a fever and then her core temperature would fall dangerously low… someone would have to monitor her temperature… she’d have cogitative interruptions, slipping through time as memories surfaced and were stitched back into the timeline of her consciousness… she’d become severely depressed… she couldn’t be left alone until it was all said and done… her skin would go through phases of hypersensitivity and extreme irritation resulting in excessive itching… luckily the itching only lasted about a day. Solas raised his brows and tilted his head at that, well… at least there’s that? He looked back up at her… and the way she was scratching. It said that aloe would help? He blinked at that… he would need supplies. He looked back at her… was he going to really do this? Apparently he was.


	10. Chapter 10

He opened a new note file on his phone and started making a list, once done, he texted it to his driver for delivery at this address. He sent his assistant a leave of absence notice for the next two weeks. He had no idea how long this was going to take, but he knew he had time… his next business meeting wasn’t until the end of the month. An hour later, he heard footsteps on the dock… he looked up from the overstuffed chair that he’d positioned beside the bed, glanced at her… she was still rolling on the bed, not violently but in obvious discomfort, her expression twisted in pain as she scratched her fevered skin. He made for the door and took the paper bags and duffle from the dwarf… the man who asked no questions and didn’t care to. He shut and sealed the door behind him, sending that same seal around the entire house… he knew he was going to have to sleep some time, setting the bags on her worn kitchen table. He laid everything out… the first thing he unpackaged was the thermometer, grateful the dwarf had gotten the kind that you just press to the center of the forehead and get an almost immediate reading. For them… ninety six was normal… he knelt on the bed, shushing her softly when she whimpered at being jostled, even though she was far from still… took a reading and frowned deeply. _103._ He swallowed roughly and went over to the table, searching for the aloe gel that he’d requested, making an _ah ha!_ Face when he found it, tipping it upside and pouring some on his hand on his way back over to her… again trying to sooth her as he sat beside her… rubbing the gel on her skin proved easier thought of than done. She cried out when he touched her… even as she breathed a sigh of relief a moment later… but he felt her muscles jerk and twitch beneath his hand. The small breeze from her ceiling fan hit the gel and started to cool her… she looked up at him, her eyes barely slit… he saw the fear there though. An hour later, he was holding her hair again… frowning as he heard her body trying to get rid of nothing, for there was nothing left… her retches interrupted by her cries of pain, her hand gripping at her throat as it burned from the acids. He got her to drink some water… easing her back down onto the bed. The rest of the night was filled of most of the same… she would burn up, he’d cool her down… her body would try to evict nothing, he’d coax some water into her… she’d toss and turn, scratch and cry… the sheets soaked beneath her from the sweat.

He didn’t know when he’d dozed off… but he came awake with a start… it was quiet. Too quiet. He looked at her… she was still. He climbed up onto the bed, setting a hand on the back of hers… it was like ice. “Tam?!” He shook her shoulder, she roused slowly, her brow creasing as a violent tremble went through her. “Damn it.” He growled at himself as he ran into the bathroom and plugged the tub, throwing the faucet on mostly hot and let it fill, rushing back to her and gathering her up into his arms… “Creators, you’re so cold…” He breathed, feeling her hand try to grab at his oxford, his socked feet padding on the floor as he hurried into the bathroom, the bath only half full, he didn’t even think… he climbed into the oddly large claw-foot and submerged her, keeping her upright in his arms, pulling the almost too hot water over her body… knowing he was more than likely shocking her system but he had to get her temperature up quickly. She rolled slightly in his arms, her eyes opening a bit further before she closed them and that tremble started to come back… “That’s it…” He breathed, if she could tremble, she was coming back. When the water reached her chin, he kicked the faucet over, cutting it off. He held her against him, her head lulled back slightly, her _Dalish_ markings a stark contrast in the dim light of the bathroom… he hadn’t turn the light on, he realized in that moment. He felt her give a shuddering breath, the water trembling out away from her. He sat there for the longest time, it felt… he had to work his socks off, which was tricky… and get creative with his toes… having to let some water out and reheat it. He’d just shut the water off again when he felt and heard the first hitching sob… he frowned down at her, noticing that she’d turned her face, her cheek resting on his collarbone. This… this cry was different. She was… still. “Tam…” He chanced a soothing caress… she trembled away from his hand and he eased it back upon her firmly.

Tamriel felt the warmth around her but it was slow to seep into her chilled body. She twitched beneath his attempt to sooth her… she still didn’t understand why he was doing this to her, why he was making her do this… she didn’t want to be clear, she didn’t want to feel any of this. She felt the sorrow pulling at her heart… taking her down into darkness… his deep voice coming forth in a quiet question. She felt the tears spill over her nose and down her face, disappearing into the water that steamed in her bathroom. She knew what was coming for her… the memories that were waiting for her if this continued. “I don’t want to remember.” She heard how small her voice sounded in the tiled room, the slight echo it had. She felt his hold on her tighten slightly, she shook her head and felt her body tremble again, shudder against the feelings that were all around her, their hold on her tightening just as he did. “I don’t want to remember them.”

Solas continued to frown, the dread he heard in her voice, the fear… this was obviously not the first time she’d been through this. She knew what was going to happen, he took a deep breath, feeling her whole body respond in that way that said it was too much stimulation. He stayed there until she was warm enough… getting out proved far trickier than getting in… but she said she needed to use the bathroom anyway… and cussed him under her breath when he wouldn’t let her shut the door. He didn’t look, he wasn’t a creeper. He peeled off his wet clothes and dried off, towel around his waist as he walked over to his duffle, glancing over his shoulder when he heard the toilet flush… and saw her stumble out of the room… hugging the wall before she leaned down against the bed. Damn she looked like hell… he changed into a pair of sweatpants and a ribbed tank undershirt before he pulled the sheets back, just as she was trying to do… in fact, he pulled them off all together. While she waited, he saw her manage to pull her wet clothes off and put a fresh pair of dry underwear on and a ribbed tank. He went over to the closet she gestured to, he pulled out the thickest blanket he could find and covered her up once she laid down, watching as she burrowed down beneath it, shivering. He frowned as he went to the table of supplies… plucking a can of soup and heading into her small kitchen. He heard her moving around under the blanket but not as bad as it had been… he managed to get her to eat the soup… but it didn’t stay down… making it harder to get her to eat again later… her pleas made him feel like shit... but he was persistent. The entire day went as such… she fought the chill… he’d slip beneath the blanket and wrap around her, lending her body his warmth whenever he’d check her temperature and it was below ninety three… he’d make her eat… she’d not keep it down… he’d hold her hair… she’d cry quietly… dreading what was to come.

That night… Solas swore he was living in two worlds, one of dreams and the waking one. He fell asleep beside her, her whole body wrapped around him and he around her as she shivered… he woke up to her crying out, sitting up so fast… he jerked awake, panting in panic as she fell back down onto the bed, weeping with abandon. She must have had a nightmare… he realized the next time it happened that… these were the beginnings of those memories… and they were tearing her apart. She was curled up on the bed, her cheek on the mattress, her legs and arms tucked beneath herself as she screamed and cried, hurt and agony pouring out of her… he couldn’t do anything but try to hold her… which she didn’t allow, it seemed to only make it worse. That continued well into the next day… he ended up just laying on his stomach beside her, his cheek on the bed… looking into her eyes as she took ragged breath after ragged breath. She’d finally fell to the side, her hand on the bed… looking as though she didn’t have the strength to even live. His tenor came forth softly. “You can do this, Tam…” He’d been saying it softly for awhile, over and over… trying to encourage her.

Tamriel felt her heart shattering, her mind splintering apart as she laid there, she shook her head slightly at him again, finally having the ability to speak… the roof of her mouth thick, her tongue swollen, her throat tight. “No… kill me… please…” She wept around the words, her brows pitched outwards with the plea… the words came out so quietly. “Please…” She begged. “I can’t…”

Solas’ brow creased deeply at her plea, he took a shallow breath and shook his own head slightly. “No, Tam… you just have to make it through a few more days… and it’ll be fine.” He breathed, he’d never heard someone sound so… resigned yet… pitiful really.

Tamriel’s chest hitched at the denial, her eyes squeezing shut against the world. “No it won’t…” She breathed as she tried to hold back another sob… only for it to bubble out after the words, her fist rising and covering the space between her eyebrows. “They’re gone.” The words broke as the sobs started to rack her body again. She felt his hand on her side, firm and there… a tether that was growing stronger each time she felt it… and she resented him for it.


	11. Chapter 11

Solas couldn’t get her to eat that day… she refused in the way an animal might when they had lost the will to live. He had almost forgotten to eat himself, he chewed down a few power bars though he had no appetite. He forced himself to clean out the pail, gagging as he did… but he did it. He checked his phone, frowning at the messages… there was three from his boss, all business and none that required a reply. There was one from his long time friend… again, not pressing to be returned. Then there was a text message thread, from Pol. He sighed as he glanced over at Tam… who was still laying as she had been the entire day… the sun setting out on the bay. He flicked it open.

_4:05 (pm)           Hey man._

_6:05                       Look I doubt u know ne thing but Im covering all bases. Im worried abt Tam, no1’s seen her & she not answering her phone. Went by her place earlier, no answer. Im sure I know the answer but gonna ask ne way. U seen her?_

Solas took a deep breath as he looked at the screen… he’d put a damper on the door when Tam’s sensory overload kicked into high gear, just in case. It might have been a dick move on his part, but he figured… her being a drug addict, her disappearing for days on end probably wasn’t an odd occurrence. His lips formed a thin line as he leaned against the counter, the microwave groaning behind him, heating up _their_ dinner, he was determined to get her to eat something before the night took hold. Granted… it was just more soup… but… it would be warm. Wasn’t there a saying about chicken noodle soup and the soul? He didn’t know… he let out that deep breath in a rush before tapping on the screen to send a reply.

6:30                       Yes. Tam’s fine. Helping her out these last few days, still going to be a few days more.

_6:30                       What?_

6:30                       You can read.

_6:30                       Where is she?_

6:30                       At home.

_6:31                       I was there earlier._

6:31                       She didn’t answer.

_6:32                       BS, Im coming over._

6:32                       NO

6:33                       Pol, NO.

Solas sighed heavily, setting the phone down onto the counter louder than he’d intended, the microwave beeping behind him. He turned quickly and opened it… pulling the oversized bowl out and setting it on the counter with a hiss. He shut the microwave before walking over to the bed slowly, easing himself down onto it… setting a hand to her shoulder, feeling her move beneath the blanket. “Hey…” He pulled the blanket down a bit, her hair dragging down over her face with the action. He saw her blinking at him, that solemn look still on her face, the sadness in her eyes pulling his own forward. “Pol’s coming over.” He saw the panic flicker over her expression. “I’m not going to let him in… but he probably thinks I’m some kind of closet psycho killer…” He whispered low, leaning down closer to her, brushing her hair back off her face, noticing that she didn’t shudder quite as violently. “You’re going to eat tonight, you know.” He said with a bit of a high browed nod.

That was one thing that Tamriel had been grateful for thus far, her phone being lost to never-never land. That way, no one could get a hold of her. She forgot that Pol knew Solas. His soft words shouldn’t have eased her worry but they did… the last though had her look away, a shudder going through her as she curled up tighter… feeling the sorrow tighten around her heart. She closed her eyes and nodded slightly, pulling at the blanket, covering her face back up.

Solas smirked slightly at how she was hiding from the world… in a certain way, it was endearing, but he was still worried over her. He poured the soup into two mugs, lifting his own and blowing on it when he heard the muffled knock… his brows raising in alarm. He hadn’t even lifted the muffled barrier… if he could hear that then Pol must be beating on the door. He set his soup down and went over to the door, a discrete flash of his eyes before he opened the door and was nearly barreled over by Pol, which he caught around the waist and pulled him back towards the door. “Shh.” He shushed him aggressively.

Pol rushed in, ignoring all else. “Where is—“ He was hoisted back to the threshold, his eyes widened at the strong arm that was around him, he looked down at it and then to Solas. “What the—“ He made a _what the fuck_ face as he was shushed again. “What the hell is going on?” He looked the man up and down… was he fucking living here or something?

Solas shook his head at him, keen ears picking up the subtle groan from behind him. “Keep your voice down.” He urged quietly as he pushed him further outside, shutting the door almost all the way behind him. “She’s resting.”

Pol pinned him with an untrusting glare. “What the fuck is going on, Solas.” He said firmly, his hands going to his hips as he shifted his weight, frustration making itself known… first this dude was all about Tam and then disgusted with her and now? What the hell?!

Solas folded his arms over his chest and looked to the side, at the boats that were moored on the pier in the distance. “She’s… detoxing.” He said low before looking back at the boy.

Pol’s brows shot up. “What…” He took a step towards the house only for Solas to shift in his way. “Look, no offense, but bullshit. I’ll believe that when I see it.” His brows went down as he heard a strangled sound inside followed by a loud thud. He followed Solas as the man rushed back inside… Pol pulled up by the door as he saw Tam on her hands and knees, aiming for the bathroom… ribbed tank and underwear, nothing more… looking like absolute shit. And Solas? He was right there, hoisting her up off the floor, soft words being given as she leaned against him. Pol was… stunned silent… he just stood there like an idiot.

Solas held her against him. “What were you trying to do…” He breathed, trying to convince his heart that it could get out of his throat now. All thoughts of Pol were gone.

Tamriel leaned against him heavily, taking a ragged breath. “I was just trying to go to the bathroom…” She gave a pained expression, feeling useless… which only made it all worse. She looked up sharply, seeing Pol staring at her… she turned her face into the crook of Solas’ neck and silenced the hitch in her chest, holding onto him tighter. “Make him go away.” She wept the words.

Solas shook his head slightly… then he looked over at Pol suddenly, as if he’d just remembered he was there. “I will.” He said low before he nearly carried her to the bathroom… disappearing into it for a second before he walked out and came at Pol like a freight train. “There, you’ve seen her, now go.”

Pol stammered at first, Solas having to push him out of the house, but once outside he managed to speak. “A few more days, you said?” Solas nodded and started to shut the door but Pol’s hand flew out to stop him. “Solas…” The man looked at him with a hell of a lot of warning, Pol nodded at him slightly. “Thank you.”


	12. Chapter 12

Solas just nodded and shut the door the rest of the way, sealing it back up before he went to stand near the bathroom… when he heard the flush and her hands appeared, gripping the doorjamb, he went to her, not even bothering… he just hoisted her up into his arms, cradling her against him and carrying her over to the bed. “He’s gone.” He felt her shuddering against him, his collarbone going damp from her tears.

Tamriel nodded and felt the bed rise up to meet her, she rolled out of his arms and curled up on it, reaching for the blanket only to feel resistance, she looked up at him… frowning as he held fast to the blanket.

Solas shook his head slightly. “You need to eat.” Tamriel sighed heavily… _what’s the point_ … that’s what her look said… but she sat up, leaning against the low headboard. Solas got the mug off the counter, walking back over to her slowly, eyes fixed on the swaying broth. Once over to her, he offered it to her, his in his other hand… he sat on the edge of the bed… and watched her intently as he absentmindedly finished his own soup. Tamriel drank about half the mug before he saw her go green… he took it away from her and nodded as she slid back down into the bed and disappeared beneath the blanket. He spent the rest of the evening cleaning up aimlessly… wandering around her small house… looking at the pictures she had dotting the walls, pinned there instead of in frames. He leaned in on a few of them, smirking at the people who were displayed, he saw Pol in a few back when they were kids… guess he really had known her for a long time… he recognized one that looked like it was, gosh… had to be a good ten years old. She was standing there on the steps of some ruin… an older woman beside her, both holding traditional staffs… but the picture had been torn in half, he thought he saw that there had been other people in the lower portion but he couldn’t be sure. He eventually climbed into the bed, finding her under the covers and pulling her to him though she stiffened, she didn’t tremble against the touch… he drifted off at some point.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING WARNING WARNING!!! Please read this first...  
> WARNING WARNING WARNING!!! Please read this first...  
> WARNING WARNING WARNING!!! Please read this first...  
> WARNING WARNING WARNING!!! Please read this first...  
> WARNING WARNING WARNING!!! Please read this first...  
> WARNING WARNING WARNING!!! Please read this first...  
> WARNING WARNING WARNING!!! Please read this first...  
> WARNING WARNING WARNING!!! Please read this first...  
> WARNING WARNING WARNING!!! Please read this first...  
> The previous chapter was intentionally short because of this one. This one depicts attempted suicide. If you're sensitive to that or if it might be a trigger for you, please, PLEASE, do not read it and just skip ahead to the next chapter, you won't miss a whole lot... not really.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING WARNING WARNING!!! Please read this first...  
> WARNING WARNING WARNING!!! Please read this first...  
> WARNING WARNING WARNING!!! Please read this first...  
> WARNING WARNING WARNING!!! Please read this first...  
> WARNING WARNING WARNING!!! Please read this first...  
> WARNING WARNING WARNING!!! Please read this first...  
> WARNING WARNING WARNING!!! Please read this first...  
> WARNING WARNING WARNING!!! Please read this first...  
> WARNING WARNING WARNING!!! Please read this first...  
> The previous chapter was intentionally short because of this one. This one depicts attempted suicide. If you're sensitive to that or if it might be a trigger for you, please, PLEASE, do not read it and just skip ahead to the next chapter, you won't miss a whole lot... not really.

Solas woke up slow… blinking before he rubbed at his face… taking in a sharp breath as he looked around… he sat up suddenly. Papers fluttering off the low table that was in her living room area… the patio door open. _What the fuck?!_ He was alone in the bed… he leapt from it and rushed to the door, and out of it… the pier went a bit further out into the bay but not that far, only about ten yards. He saw her standing at the end… the moon shining down on her… she had his oxford on, the one he’d hung up in the bathroom to dry. He padded down the pier towards her. “Tam?” He was confused… and wondering if maybe she was starting to rise out of all of this… but she looked over her shoulder slowly and he saw the silver streaks of her tears. “Hey…” He came up beside her… his relief giving way to horror as he looked down her. “Tam!” He took hold of her hand quickly, the knife in her grip easily relinquished… his eyes flew over her as he stepped in front of her… his breath leaving him as he saw his oxford soaked crimson over her other wrist. “ _What did you do_!” He dropped the knife into the water without thought, taking hold of her wrist tightly, looking up into her eyes… eyes that were so… resigned. “Damn it, Tamriel.” He held that wrist tight and wrapped his other arm around her, rushing her back inside… hating that she barely fought him at all… how long had she been out there?! He rushed her into the bathroom… sitting her down on the closed toilet as he snatched the towel off the rack and quickly jerked the sleeve up, blood seeping steadily down over his fingers before he set the towel to it. “Son of a bitch. Tam!” He reached for the medicine cabinet, awkwardly stretched as he reached for some gauze… not being able to reach he jerked when he felt her other hand on his cheek.

Tamriel watched as he tried desperately to stem the tide, her hand on his cheek stilled him. “Solas.” She shook her head softly, covering his other hand, feeling that odd sense of calm. “You can’t understand…” She gripped his hand tightly, pulling at him… urging him to ease the pressure.

Solas shook his head at her… refusing to move. “No, I can’t.” He saw the tears well in her eyes. “Whatever it is, Tam… we can… I can…” He couldn’t speak as he saw the pain sinking into her gaze… he fought her hold but she kept jerking at him and he kept slipping, his expression went pained as she changed tactics and jerked the towel out of his hold. “NO!” He shook his head sharply, giving her a mixed look before he covered her wrist with his hand, his head bowing as he strained… the teal light spreading from his palm… washing over her damaged skin… forcing it to knit back together.

Tamriel didn’t want to hurt him… which was just another reason to do this. She didn’t want this pain anymore… and she wouldn’t do this to him, not this… but this as in _her_. She wept at his words, at his tone… but then she gasped and panicked at what he did. “No! Solas!” She cried out as he healed her… when he looked back up at her, she saw that rolling cloud fading in his eyes, but she also saw his exhaustion, how draining it had been, that simple act… one that would have been so easy for those who had come long before them. She took hold of him, her hands falling to either side of his face somewhat, her thumbs on his cheeks… “Why did you do that?!” She wept down at him as she cried.

Solas shook as he felt his limited power nearly drain out of him all together… foolish of him… but it was done. He saw how pale her lips were… heard how weak her voice was… he felt the sticky warmth of the blood still on her hand as she touched him but he didn’t care. He looked up at her and shook his head. “I couldn’t let you die.” He said truthfully. “I’m not built that way.” He said low as he frowned at her, reaching up and brushing her hair from her face.

Tamriel let her head fall as the sorrow pulled her down again, her tears falling freely. “I can’t do this.” Her hands fell down to her lap as she wept.

Solas sighed heavily as he shook off the feeling of exhaustion, pulling another hand towel down and wetting it, he went about cleaning up all the blood… her words stilled him but he didn’t say anything, not yet.


	14. Chapter 14

Once it was done… he pulled his oxford from her and dropped it in the trashcan as they passed it, guiding her back to bed. He needed to lay down… he wasted no time doing just that, stretching out with the intention of rolling towards her but… she curled around him, her small body shaking as she fought whatever it was that made death seem preferable. He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer as she trembled further, shaking almost violently as she clutched his ribbed tank… she was sweating again. He was fighting sleep… desperately… when he heard her shaky voice break the silence.

Tamriel struggled against the memories that were trying to reestablish themselves in her mind. She felt him there… and hated that she held onto him, as if he could make it all go away. He didn’t deserve any of this, why was he even here… why was he doing this… she still didn’t understand his motivations. “I just wanted to see them again.” She said against his chest… her mind throwing images at her hard enough to make her wince, curling into him as much as she could. “I miss them so much…” Her sobs broke her words as she disappeared into them, she felt Solas rolling, turning towards her. She shook her head as he tried to brush her hair back. “I don’t want to remember!” She cried out, covering her face, her hands fisting before she felt him pull them away.

Solas frowned deeply, pulling her hands down. “Easy.” He said low, he had deduced that she’d obviously lost people that were important to her. He wanted to ease her in some way… but knew that anything he could say would just sound hollow… but he opened his mouth anyway. “You have to remember.” When she shook her head at him, he ducked, trying to catch her eye… but they were squeezed shut so tight. “If you don’t… who will.”

Tamriel looked at him with dread in her eyes, he didn’t understand. She didn’t answer, she just wilted against him again, she didn’t want to speak anymore about it, curling up tightly as she felt the chills wrack her body anew… knowing she was far from done with this demon.

Solas’ eyes shut slow, he felt her curl up, trying to disappear… he shook his head and pulled her to him, forcing her to unfurl, he felt her wrap around him tightly as he did her. He spoke into her crown, his words held low and full of empathy. “I’m here.” He didn’t know what else to say, he couldn’t apologize, he couldn’t say anything at all that would make it all better. He didn’t know how long it took for him to fall asleep… but it wasn’t that long… using any of his magic to heal had always taken everything out of him, leaving him weakened.

The whole of the next day and night were the worst… it was a combination of all that had happened thus far, though Solas had made sure not to let her out of his sight or hold… if he slept, he was around her. She felt so frail against him… he was sure her heart was going to flat out give up on her… the dawn of sixth day though… was different. Solas was still sleeping, his hold on her like iron.


	15. Chapter 15

Tamriel woke up slow, her body aching… she went to move but felt him tighten around her. She turned slightly, what she could, to see him. He was sleeping fitfully… his brow held low as his soft snore hitched. She managed to turn around in his arms though it took some coaxing… she took a rough breath, seeing him there. He’d been… she couldn’t even explain it. She ran her hand down his cheek, her thumb trailing down the bridge of his nose, watching as he twitched and turned slightly, his lips tensing and moving away from the touch… irritated at being toyed with. She couldn’t help but smirk slightly at him… she still didn’t fully understand his motivations… but… she was glad he was there. She’d tried… many times… but she’d always failed, she’d hit the wall of memories, as she called it… and gave in… then again, she’d always done it alone. She wet her chapped lips, grimacing at the feeling… but she leaned in anyway, placing a chaste kiss to the corner of his mouth… warming more than she cared to admit when she heard him _hmm_ in response… she pulled back and saw how his expression smoothed out, he looked… much younger when he wasn’t so concerned.

“Solas…” She whispered, his more assertive _hmm_ was his answer, he was waking but was reluctant to do so. “Let me up…” He shook his head slightly, pulling her closer to him, she winced slightly. “I have to use the bathroom.” She felt him let her go… but it was obvious he didn’t want to. She slid from the bed, taking her time… her entire body sore. She ignored her own reflection, she didn’t need to look to see how horrible she looked… she was pretty sure she looked how she felt. She turned the handle on the hot water and got the shower going… fifteen minutes later, she stepped out feeling a lot better though nowhere near _all_ better. She felt like she’d been hit with by a truck… a few times. Her mind kept trying to steer her thoughts towards _that_ … but she ignored it… easily. That was the part that the _experts_ always got wrong about gambit… they didn’t always toe the line afterwards, once they were detoxed, they could easily turn it down. They had to _want_ to use again… if they didn’t want to, they wouldn’t. Simple as that, the _need_ was gone.

That made any relapses just as bad as the very first time… which was another reason it was so dangerous. It only took one time. She dried off lazily, brushing out her hair before heading out to get dressed, smirking as she saw that he had rolled onto his stomach, much as he had slept the first night he was here, but she saw there on his sweatpants… a smear of blood. She frowned… she got dressed before going into the kitchen and starting the coffee. She walked over to the bed and eased the sweatpants off of him… he must have been exhausted, he barely stirred. She tossed them in the dirty clothes hamper by the bathroom and then went to stand in front of her kitchen table… and his apparent _detox-supply-pack_.

She picked up the thermometer that she remembered, taking her own temperature and giving the thing a mouth shrug when it spat out _ninety eight_ at her, a little high but still okay. She picked up one of the bottles of _ensure_ and glared at it… but dutifully shook it up and took a sip, made a face as her left eye twitched followed by an all over body shudder and not one that was left over from the last few days. “

Gross…” She whispered as she looked at the label… but it had like… everything in it. She took a few deep breaths, psyching herself up for it… and chugged it. She felt the ripples of disgust rolling over her as she stuck her tongue out once it was done, making a quiet gagging sound. She glanced over her shoulder at him… back at the other five that were a part of the six pack of those things… back at him… back at the cans… him… the cans… she shook her head and gathered them up and walked over to the trashcan in the kitchen, dumping them all into it and sticking it back under the sink as quickly as possible, standing up and closing the cabinet as if she hadn’t just done that. _Sorry, Solas… but those are nasty as fuck._ She walked over to the coffee pot and poured herself a cup… a slight buzzing sound making her jump slightly. She looked around and saw a phone on the counter… she blinked and walked over to it, holding the mug up to her chest, she peered down at the display. _Must be his…_ she saw the preview of the text that came in…

_10:05 (am) Sid: Sir, will you be needing anything else before I go on vacation?_

She gave a rather clueless look before she picked it up, flicking it open… surprised that it didn’t require any kind of pass code or anything, which told her that he lived alone. Obviously. She tapped out a reply, so he wouldn’t appear rude… “Okay…” She breathed to herself as she set the mug down before she started. _He’s all Mr. prim and proper…_

10:06:                   No. That will be all. Thank you, Sid. Have a nice vacation.

She hit send with a nod and set the phone down, reaching for her coffee only for the thing to buzz again. She leaned over and looked at it again.

_10:07                    Very well, Sir. I took the liberty of ensuring that your suits have all been delivered from the cleaners and your personal vehicle has a full tank of gas should you need to travel while I am gone._

She made a face before sending a return text.

10:07                    Thank you, Sid.

She gave a defiant nod this time, swiping the lock screen up, picking up her mug and taking a sip of the bitter liquid with a sigh. She had only finished half of her coffee before his phone buzzed again. She blinked at it… leaned again…

_10:30    Talan:  Solas, I know you’re on sabbatical but this is important, the Dafries woman is losing her mind over the merger with the Montas group and she insists that you handle this. I’ve emailed you the details in case you are away from your laptop. This is urgent._

She blinked at that… looked back over at him… he was in a deep sleep. And he’d earned it… she sighed heavily, drumming her fingers against the side of her mug, chewing on her lower lip before his phone seemed to explode.

_10:31    Sorcia: Solas, Talan’s insane. He swears that you are the lead on the Dafries account, I told him that Abelas put me on that account last year but he won’t hear it. The man is getting on my last nerve, you have to do something!_

_10:31    Kable:   Solas, please send help! Talan’s running around like some insane person, he swears Sorcia is out to get him, you have to take care of this._

_10:31    Talan:  Solas, please! Help! Sorcia is trying to say that I’m stealing the Dafries account?????_

_10:31    Mark:    Solas… seriously, you need to call someone back or text someone, it’s turning into a war over here._

_10:31    Pol:        I know UR busy. I know. Im trying 2 handle this but Sorcia just threw a candy dish @ me, Y does she still work here? She just yelled @ Talan that she was going 2 call Abelas. If he gets in it, U know there going 2 B hell 2 pay. Plz- I hope Tam’s doing better._

_10:31    Briala:  Solas, the horrors are at it again. Those two are going to burn this company to the ground, Sorcia has the Montas all in a bunch over the deal. You need to take care of this, now, I don’t care if you’re on a break or whatever. She’s going to call Abelas._

_10:32    Abelas: Solas. Call me, now._


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And here we go! Semi-smut in this chapter... and you know more is coming because apparently they're just like that.

She just stared at it for awhile, her brows raised high as the texts just flooded in… the last one though had her make an eek face and set her mug down, pick up the phone and pad over to the bed. She sat on the edge and leaned over, running her hand over his smooth scalp. “Hey…” She smirked when he burrowed deeper into the pillow. “Hey, Solas… a dude named Abelas just texted you…” She about jumped out of her skin when he shot up, his eyes barely able to focus and it showed.

Solas took a few seconds to get his bearings… he looked at her with a confused expression for a moment as he blinked rapidly, settling his weight on his knees, rubbing at his face roughly the second after. He looked at her again… she was… clear. He took a deep breath and moved to the edge of the bed, sitting beside her… looking at her as if he were in a daze, taking the phone from her hand… he swallowed roughly before he pulled her in for a quick embrace. “Feeling better?”

She smirked at him and gave a high browed _whoa.. okay_ kind of look as she was pulled in. “Yeah.” She answered softly before he withdrew and rubbed at his face again, flicking his phone open fully… his brows shooting up as he scrolled through the messages. “Yeah…” She said with an eek face, slipping off the bed and heading back over to her coffee… pulling a chipped mug down off the wall and filling it up, setting it on the breakfast bar for him.

Solas sighed at the messages. “These people…” He saw the message from Abelas and shook his head, pushing off from the bed and disappearing into the bathroom for a few minutes before reappearing and walking over to the breakfast bar as he pushed _call_ on the screen, giving her an upturn of his chin as he picked the mug up and took a sip, tossing her a wink before he started speaking into the phone, Abelas’ formal tone coming through. “Yes, Sir… I just read about it. Mmhm. I just woke up… is it that late in the day?” He looked at her and gave a bit of a shrug, which she just smirked at him over. “I apologize, Sir. Of course, Madam Dafries is my next call… Naturally.” He took another swallow of the coffee, setting the mug down slowly as he got… distracted. He watched as Tamriel turned away from him, her boy-shorts and skimpy tank top coming into focus seemingly for the first time since he woke up. “I apologize, could you repeat that. Of course I am listening.” He rolled his lower lip in, licking it slowly before he nodded at the phone and immediately felt like an idiot. “Yes, Sir. It will all be taken care of.” He hung up and turned away from her, he couldn’t think while she was… standing there? He scrolled through and put the call in… pushing off and heading back over to sit down on the edge of the bed… still working on waking up completely. When the operator picked up, he fell into royeax, the language slipping off his tongue fluidly as he requested the dispatch to the Dafries estate… his eyes flicked over to Tamriel as she walked past him while he waited… she was looking… much better. Color had leached back into her skin… and she was… damn she was so clear, her eyes vibrant and there. She was… _there_. He shook his head sharply as he settled his elbow on his knee, forearm on the other, bowing his head as he greeted the Dafries servant and subsequently fell into talks with the aging dowager.

Tamriel had washed out her empty mug before turning around, watching him as he went to sit on the edge of the bed… it was the strangest thing. She was used to having him here but at the same time, her memories of him here were foggy. She listened as he skillfully changed languages… the divide between them becoming more than evident… he was from this whole other world… and he’d been stuck in this crap house for days with her. She frowned slightly before shoving off, pushing all of that crap out of her head as she walked past him and behind him, climbing up onto the bed a moment later… smirking as she crawled up behind him… settling on her knees as she ran her hands up and over his shoulders… feeling him both tense and then ease, his single brow raised led the look as he glanced over his shoulder at her… without so much as a hitch in his conversation. She gave him an impish perk of her eyebrows… nipping at the ribbed tank of his, tugging at it lightly. She watched his pupils dilate immediately… she kissed the tender skin that led to his nape…

Solas’ eyes widened slightly at her actions… what in the hell was she trying to do… he started rushing the conversation, realizing it the moment he nearly interrupted the dowager. He cleared his throat and forced himself to look away from Tamriel… focusing instead on the coffee table in the living room. He felt her lips on his neck, the skin there breaking out in chills that spread down his back. He took a slow, controlled breath as he felt her hand sliding around his side towards the front… he ensnared it easily, halting her progression. He hung up with the dowager a moment later… knowing he had at least two more calls to make. “What… are you doing…” He said roughly as she kissed her way around the side of his neck, he couldn’t help but rolling his head to the side, giving her easier access.

Tamriel smirked when he’d stilled her… even more when he voiced his question, she heard the irritation there, but a whole lot of arousal. “Thanking you…” She breathed. She felt his hand on her tighten and him straighten suddenly… she pulled back as he turned to look at her, the look on his face was… he was offended. “Solas…”

Solas shook his head at her. “That’s not… Tamriel… I didn’t do this because I wanted to have sex with you.” He watched her features change and he backpedaled slightly. “I mean, I do but… that’s not why I’m here.”


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clangs Symbols: Smut Chapter! Smut Chapter!

Tamriel looked at him quietly before she had to smirk at him, shaking her head slightly. “And… I do better with actions… not words.” She gave him a highbrowed look before his phone buzzed at him again, she almost couldn’t keep her smirk to herself.

Solas opened his mouth to respond but that phone vibrated in his hand, he glanced down and glared at the thing before looking back at her, giving her a look that said he wasn’t finished with this conversation before he turned back around. It was another text from Pol, pleading for help. He texted him back that he was on it and dialed Talan. “Talan. Yes, I know. I have already spoken with the dowager.” He jerked slightly when he felt her hands on him again, he sighed and ground his teeth when he felt her legs slide beside him though she was still on her knees and her shimmy up _right_ behind him. He swallowed roughly when he felt her pulling his ribbed tank upwards… he tugged it back down roughly, waving his hand haphazardly behind him only to hear her stifled giggle. He was glad she was feeling better but… damn this female! He didn’t catch the last thing Talan said, but it didn’t really matter… he was on a roll, ranting about Sorcia. “I know… I’m going to call her next.” He felt her press fully against his back, evading his attempts to shoo her away. “I know, you’re just going to have to deal with it, Talan. She can be hard to…” He took in a sharp breath as he felt her hand sneak down into his waistband, combing the crisp hairs just above his rapidly responding length. “Handle.” He finished his sentence with a glare sent over his shoulder. “But you’ll learn.” He was met with a heated look as she peeked back at him… her other hand creeping around… he covered that one, stilling her advance yet again. Damn it… he only had one hand to work with. “Talan, I understand… tell you what, go ahead and send me over to her office… I’ll hold.” He tilted the phone away from him and shook his head at her, his deep tenor hissing out at her. “Stop it.”

Tamriel perked her brows at him, feigning innocence. “Stop what?” He opened his mouth to respond but turned back to the phone… she couldn’t help the smile that crept up her features as she started kissing at the exposed skin of his shoulder and the back of his neck, slowly…

Solas took a steadying breath… he could do this. He heard Sorcia’s sickeningly sweet voice spill out of the phone. “Sorcia.” She started her tirade immediately. He sighed heavily and rolled his eyes at her colorful word usage… his attention snatched away from the phone as he felt her hand slip further downwards… his hold on her other hand tightening as did his grip on the cell… she coaxed his length into hardening fully, her fingers stroking him idly, as if it were nothing more than a simple touch… he felt his pulse kicking up as she did that _and_ suckled on his neck a bit more firmly… he tried not to let his head fall back, and failed miserably… Sorcia’s rant still spilling out at him. His other hand lacing with her fingers as she took hold of him properly. He rolled his lips as he tilted the mouthpiece away, his breathing already kicking up. He swallowed roughly when he heard Sorcia ask him something. “Sorcia… listen, you and Talan need to learn to… get along. This temper… tantrum… that the both of you have… been throwing… today… is unacceptable.” He bit down on his lower lip as she stroked him from base to tip, his brows pitching outward at the beginning of desperation. “The dowager is my responsibility, you know this. Why you insist on… baiting… Talan, I’ll never know. The matter… has been handled… and I consider this issue… done.” He could hardly help the random pauses in his sentence. “Now, if you don’t mind, I would like to… return to my sabbatical.” He mashed the red circle on the screen and dropped the phone slowly, letting it fall to the floor nice and easy like. “You are horrible.” He ground out to Tamriel, the woman’s hand making his hips twist as she stroked him lazily. “You could have waited until I was off the phone.” He chided, spreading his legs slightly… and if he were to admit, eagerly.

Tamriel nipped at the skin she’d just been marking, feeling his length flex in a series of ripples in her hold. “Where’s the fun in that?” She breathed against him, smirking as he widened his stance… she reached further, palming the tender skin beneath his length, feeling him jerk and take in a sharp breath, the corresponding exhale was throaty and full of desire. “Besides… I liked hearing you struggle to maintain control.”

Solas felt pleasure roll over him, slow at first and then all at once when she reached lower, his breath leaving him in a rush. “You did, hmm?” He tried to turn but found that she wouldn’t let him… he smirked. “So… this is how you want me…” Her answer was a quiet _mmhm_ and another agonizingly slow stroke. “This is just your attempt to silence me.”

Tamriel felt his hand settle on her thigh, creeping upwards and holding her against him, even in some way, he had to hold fast to her. She leaned up, craning her neck so she could run her tongue up the sharp point of his ear, feeling him shudder as he laid his head back for her. “Oh… I want you far from silent.” She breathed over the damp skin, feeling the chill break over him as she ran her thumb over the end of him, dragging down his eagerness… the way he tensed and let out a rough breath had her smiling against him. She started stroking him in a steady rhythm.

Solas kept trying to turn only to continuously be denied… he was growing frustrated, but she was filling him with pleasure at the same time. She had him panting and twisting, unable to be still, his hand holding fast to her thigh as he turned at least partially, craning his neck and reaching up, sinking a hand into her hair as he brought her to him, his lips mashing against hers desperately. He was painfully hard as she stroked him, full of want… desire soaked eyes stared up at her as his brows pitched outward as a plea leapt from his lips. “Tam… please…” She was driving him mad, he was sure of it… he felt her hold tighten, her pace quicken upon him, he couldn’t contain the groan that rolled out of him, nor could he stop himself from gripping the fistful of her hair that he’d gotten a hold of.

Tamriel felt her body warm, flushed with arousal as she handled him, giving him this… watching him… hearing him… feeling him, it was driving her own desire high, the way he kissed her, he was desperate for her, the way he kept trying to turn… he wanted to but didn’t dare, not while she held him so intimately. The sound he made and how he held fast to her when she tightened her hold, how his chest heaved and his other hand fisted the sheets, pulling yet pushing against them… he was close. She didn’t let up, moving faster as he panted, feeling his length going extremely hard, it must be painful… the rest of his body tensing before he barked out a strangled sound, his hold on her tightening as his hand flew to her wrist, slowing her as she felt him coating her hand, dripping down between her fingers. She could hardly keep her own breathing under control as her body ached for him, yet it was exhausted… but she could give him this. “Now that’s a proper mess…” She breathed against his cheek as he tried to catch his breath.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toots the Kazoo: Smut! More Smut!! And stupidity! Smut and stupidity! And fluff!! Smut, fluff, and stupidity ahead!!

Solas swallowed roughly as he eased her hand off of him… he could hardly speak let alone come up with a quip… the last week had been… he shook his head as he turned around suddenly, covering her mouth with his, invading her, his tongue diving into her as she yelped beneath him, his hands gripping her hips and rear, pulling her upwards as his knees sank down into the bed, following as he threw her further up onto the bed, falling atop her as his length still strained… he desired _her_ … he wanted to feel her around him. He broke the kiss as she started to pull away… he looked down at her heatedly, biting at his lower lip as he rolled against her, shuddering at the feeling, the warmth in his boxers doing little to dissuade him. He watched as her eyes fluttered, felt her hands on him… but they were softer than they had been, hesitant. He saw the desire in her eyes… “I want _you_ … Tamriel… not your hand.” He bent low and kissed her lips softly, settling down on his forearms.

Tamriel’s whole body warmed as he handled her as if she weighed nothing at all… his eagerness, even after… he was truly insatiable. She could hardly stand the shudder he sent through her as he showed her just how hard he still was… the way he kissed her, all of it had her center still aching. But she was still… she looked up at him, his words came so heated, the way he looked down at her… she could melt for that soft kiss. “Solas… I…” He kissed her again… and stole her breath, when he pulled away again, he pressed himself against her, rolling his hips in mimicry, desperate in the way he looked down at her. “I can’t go for hours this time…” She breathed to him. “But… once…” She gave a yelping sort of laugh as he dove into her neck, nipping and kissing at her.

Solas knew he couldn’t push her body very far… but he wanted to feel her around him, he wanted to make her scream with _pleasure_ , he wanted to make her feel good… he felt her hands pulling at his tank… he tore it off… he felt her hands in his waistband, he tugged the boxers off, ignoring the mess… he pulled at her tank… she worked out of it… he sank his hands down into her boy short style underwear… she shifted but he kept them on her. He pulled her to him, lifting her hips up his thighs, dragging her to him… shaking as he felt her _right there_. He felt her hands roaming him, holding onto the back of his neck as he started to move, he shook his head sharply as gripped her rear, massaging the muscle as he urged her to move with him… she did. He had her panting, just as wonton as he… desperate as he toyed with the silver hoops that flashed just before him, teasing him… taunting him. She pulled herself up further, claiming his lips on her own, making him dizzy… he fell into the kiss, pulling at her sharply. He couldn’t stand pulling away from her… not yet… he could feel her soaking through the thin fabric, coating him. He groaned deep in his throat, desperation taking up shop in the center of his back, spurring him deep as he started tugging at the cloth that crossed her hip, gathering it in his fist, his other hand holding fast to her shoulder as he started to shake. She tore from the kiss, gasping for air as his eyes burned into her… “I want to feel _you_ … just you… nothing between us…” His voice was broken, gravel filled and dripping with desire. He pulled at that cloth again… his brow settling to hers as he ground himself against her center, feeling her body right there on the other side. “Please…” He breathed the last word, his voice shaking as he thought of it.

Tamriel swallowed roughly at the words he uttered… she swayed as it seemed he strained against his skin. “…” She searched his eyes… the thought alone had her body weep, she watched as his pupils dilated further, his body responding to hers. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears… feel it in her chest as she nodded slightly, watching as he visibly swallowed… she jerked as he _ripped her underwear off her_ … her eyes widened at him and what he’d just done…

Solas tossed the now useless fabric away, giving her a _sorry, not sorry_ look, his hands gripping her tightly as he leaned over her, settling her back onto the bed, rolling his hips away from her… joining her sharp intake of breath as he brushed over her swollen folds. “Damn…” He cursed low as he trembled worse than before. His breath caught as he rolled them back towards her… the head of himself sliding against her, catching on the edge of her opening, he couldn’t think beyond how she felt there… he felt himself kick against her, the soft moan she gave had him shifting his weight forward on his knees… pushing himself into her, his mouth falling open as he seemed to push a long moan out of her, his own voice abandoning him as he trembled… he couldn’t keep his eyes open as he bowed his head, sliding himself into her fully… he could feel her body tightening around him, easing its hold, all the ridges and muscles rolling over him… how hot she was, how wet she was, his hips settled against hers, his voice finally returning as he groaned low, he’d never felt anyone bare before… not ever. “Tam…” Her name leapt from him as she held him closer to her, he gathered her in his arms, feeling her body shudder around him in pleasure. _Holy shit…_ he almost lost it right then… he withdrew from her slowly, savoring every moment… content to do so, or at least… that was his intention… but a few minutes later he was already moving faster, her moans filling his ear, her hands pulling at him, the feeling of her around him driving him mad with pleasure, desire saturating him as he felt her drawing close. He felt her burry her face against his nape… desperate in the next moment… he drove himself into her deeply, groaning as he felt all of her around him… he rolled against her at the end of each deep thrust, he didn’t have to do that many more times before she undiluted beneath him, he cried out with her, his moan joining hers as he felt it all, he felt her muscles pulsing around him in a rhythm all their own, he felt how everything got even more wet… everything went slick as his hips bucked against her, he slammed his hand down into the mattress, quickly losing control as he drove himself into her, hearing her scream his name sent him over the edge… he reared up, started to pull away from her but he felt her legs wrap around him, pulling him back to her. “I’m… I’m about to…”

She nodded to him… he took a ragged breath as he felt her lock her ankles behind him, he spread his knees as he kept going… his voice cutting out as he gave her a wide eyed, high browed, almost panicked look, he slammed into her one last time, rolling against her as he came violently, throwing his head back as he cried out, her name falling from his lips before he looked down at her, that cloud rolling in his eyes brightly, shock settled over his features as he felt it all… felt himself emptying into her, hot and free flowing, he didn’t feel the counter pressure or the pinching resistance that brought the discomfort with it. He rolled with her, his hand gripping her hip and keeping her with him… his knees and feet digging into the mattress as he grew desperate, as if his body meant to give her everything he had. She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen… he flexed, feeling himself give the last… pleasure rippling through him as he fell back over her, wrapping around her as he kissed her deeply. He wanted more… but he didn’t move… he wouldn’t push her, not yet. _Yet?_ He questioned himself… feeling her hands massage the muscles around his lower back… he knew, somewhere along the way… hell, on the street… he’d made a decision, or rather… his heart had. She was to be his. And he… hell, he was already hers.


End file.
